Angry lessees of a Wanaka holiday park were delivered proof
yesterday they are being disadvantaged by the rules over
freedom camping.

Polish investment banker Kamil Szlago and his wife Sylvia
spent Tuesday night in their camper van outside the front
gate of the Wanaka Top 10 Holiday Park, in Aspiring Rd.

Mr Szlago told the Otago Daily Times the couple saved
$40 by parking outside the camp.

During a polite discussion with Mr Szlago, park lessee
Patrick Perkins pointed out while it was not illegal to
freedom camp outside his park, Mr Szlago's camper van was
parked across a footpath, on a recently sown verge, facing
the wrong way.

Mr Perkins considered it ''disgusting'' the Queenstown Lakes
District Council allowed freedom camping so close to Wanaka
and he and his wife Tracey are among those arguing freedom
camping should not be permitted within 20km of the town.

''There just seems to be a huge conflict of interest at the
moment between the council and privately owned holiday
parks.''

The freedom camping issue was ''raising the hackles of a lot
of people, not only myself but a lot of other local residents
around here'', Mr Perkins said.

Lakes Environmental is considering a new bylaw that would
extend the no freedom camping zone west of Wanaka to Glendhu
Bay but with an exception for a limited number of
self-contained camper vans at Waterfall Creek, not far from
the Top 10 park.

His self-contained van was costing him $200 a day, plus
petrol, which was equivalent to the cost of a hotel and a
rental car, Mr Szlago said.

''I don't want to pay extra money for facilities I don't
need.''

He was only planning to visit holiday parks when he needed to
use a dump station, fill up his water tank and charge his
batteries.

A second van without its own facilities also spent Tuesday
night outside Mr Perkins' camp.
Mr Perkins said it was quite common for people to use his
park's facilities without paying and he had called the police
on some occasions.

''It's disgusting. They come in through the early hours of
the night and use our facilities. That's how cunning they are
about it.''

A new freedom camping bylaw is due to come into effect on
December 19, subject to adoption by council.

Parking signs are already available - a blue and white sign
with a campervan on it, a distance below which means no
camping within that distance, already exists . If there is no
distance it already means 200 metres. The campground needs
these signs outside the campground. New Zealanders travelling
overseas in campervans park in the most incredible places and
often leave piles of rubbish and that other stuff. Education
at the campervan pick-up place is needed.